Engaging the Majority World

"The purpose of the 2008 North American Mission Leaders Conference is to challenge assumptions, broaden perspectives, and stimulate actionable dialogue among Great Commission leaders regarding how we relate to the Majority World harvest force." - Steve Moore, president of the Mission Exchange

As the Mission Next conference begins, one of the first things to think about and get your head around is the concept of the Majority World. This is not a new term, but there are so many terms out there that people are using, that it can get confusing.

Wikipedia defines it this way: "The majority world (sometimes capitalized as Majority World) is a term used in preference to the largely inaccurate, out-of-date and/or non-descriptive terms developing countries, third world and the "Global South". In the early nineties, Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam [1]began advocating for the new expression “majority world” to represent what has been known as the “Third World.” The term highlights the fact that these countries are indeed the majority of humankind. It also highlights the anomaly that the G8 (whose decisions affect the majority of the world's peoples) represent a tiny fraction of people in the world."

So what does this mean in missions work? Well, the reality today is that a vast majority of the Great Commission work is being done by people who live in this Majority World. Many reading this blog are from a Majority World country and many others are living in one of these countries.

The reality is that the missions movement of the 20th Century was defined and carried out by the Western developed nations. In the 21st Century the missions movement will be defined and driven by the Majority World.

So what is the role of Western leaders meeting in Denver then? God has a bigger plan than any of us can imagine. While the Majority World is the largest player in this new century, the role of the Western missions movement is still critical.

The key is sincere and humble partnership between the two. Both are God's agents to share the Gospel. This is not a "Door Number 1" or "Door Number 2" discussion. God is going to use all that come in humility and obedience. He will use them all in unique and powerful ways.

So as this discussion begins, lets see what God might do . . .

Blogging at Mission Next

What is Next in Missions?

This week, The Mission Exchange, Cross Global Link and EMS are meeting for in Denver under the theme Mission Next. At this meeting in Denver, people will be talking about what is next in missions - what it looks like to do missions with technology, the rise of new missions movements and new levels of strategic partnerships.

This is a key time for this discussion. The global economy, the changes in the church, and the rise of persecution along with a number of great issues are impacting missions significantly.

I will be blogging from the conference. Will anyone who reads this blog be there? Any questions issues that you would like to hear about? Lets have a discussion around this event and the outcomes.

Introducing Generous Minds

I recently asked our Innovation in Mission facebook group to let me know if they had published any books that I could share with our larger audience. I got a great response. Here are some of the books from other innovators out there. Take some time to consider them:

• Dr. Ted Ward: LIVING OVERSEAS--a A Book of Preparations
  
• Scott Moreau edited: Encountering Missionary Life and Work by Tom Steffen and Lois McKinney
  
• Chris Forbes: Facebook for Pastors / 25 Free Ministry Marketing Tools
  
• Jerry Wiles:
  How to Win Others to Christ
  The Faithful Witness
  Personal Faith Sharing
  
• Tony LaMouria will be publishing a book with Tate Publishing in March titled, "The Living Image: God purposed you to bear His Image and know His will."

If you have a book that you have written, please make a comment to this post and share it so that others can connect with your creative ideas.

Who Stole My . . . ?

One of the biggest challenges for innovators is the fact that any new idea is seen as taking something away from the old. TV stole away radio listeners and the airplane stole away train passengers.

So what do you do when people feel like your idea is stealing soemthing they love? Well, read Gordon MacDonald's book "Who Stole My Church" to get an idea. This is a fictional book where Pastor MacDonald is a pastor in a New England church going through great change. In the midst of this he gather a group of long-time church goers to meet every week to discuss the changes.

As you read you will see the human side of change. The "Us and Them" will go away and it will inspire you to engage those who are feeling a sense of loss.

You can't lead change if no one is following. And just ignoring those who are struggling is not the answer. This is a tough thing to deal with as you can't wait forever either.

So take a few days to digest this book and be encouraged in your innovation.

Creating Win Win Innovations

One of the key elements to an innovation is the ability to help seemingly opposite interest groups to find benefit from your idea. This is not easy to do and that is why it is so valuable.

The reason that this is so difficult is that when you please one group, you identify with their values and solve things that they are concerned about. Another group will naturally have different values and concerns. Like a lunar or solar eclipse, the times when these two celestial bodies cross paths are few and far between.

So how do you go about creating a win win innovation? Here are some ideas to consider.
- Identify the need that your innovation will meet.
- Pray that God will give you a tender heart to help the people who have this need.
- Ask God to show you which groups have this need.
- Once you have 2-3 groups identified then ask yourself what they have in common.
- Ask yourself what are their desires and motivators.
- Isolate those things that they have in common and that drive them.
- Look for a solution that tracks with those commonalities.
- You may just have found a win win innovation.

A Win Win in Action
I would like to introduce you to a win win innovation within our facebook group. Justin Marquardt has started something called Versemail. He combined his passion for missions and technology into a service that meets the needs of American Christians and also the missions community.

Here how Justin describes the birth of this idea, "I have always had a passion for Technology and my wife has always had a passion for missions. There came a point where I felt God’s calling to get more involved with missions to equal that of my wife. We pooled our abilities, prayed for an Idea and then together came up with a service that provides funds for missions opportunities, uses technology, and helps others with their daily walk with Christ. We saw many sites out there dedicated to a daily bible verse so we wanted to add some cool technology and a personal feel to a daily Bible verse idea. We added voice messaging and practical life application to go along with the verse. We believe there is something powerful about the spoken Word of God. Our vision and prayer is that the Lord uses Versemail to uplift the lives of our daily subscribers at the same time raising money allowing the gospel and good news of Christ to be shared with others all over the World."

What I love about this idea is that in praying for an innovation, God put both the donor and the missions cause on their heart. They identified a cool new service that would encourage and a way to benefit missions. The idea of Versemail is unique as well because it is delivered as a voicemail. If you think about it, when you receive a voicemail on your phone it is usually an action item. Voicemail is an actionable product. So delivering devotional thoughts this way allows you to engage in an idea and act on it.

Justin is using the proceeds of this new innovation to support missions, "We support a number of different organizations and also take missions trips ourselves. Bridges of Hope International, Campus Crusade, World Vision are a few ministries that we will be supporting initially."

Read a story of impact from this innovation, "Our last subscriber signed up a friend who is struggling and in need of prayer. She felt Versemail was a great way to reach that individual. Others have been encouraged on a daily basis by the action plans Versemail delivers."

Do you see any practical ways to apply Justin's innovation? If so contact him at the site or in our facebook group.

So as you look at your innovative idea, can you see any win win situations? It will strengthen your idea and create more adoption.

Taking Strategic Risks for God's Kingdom

How tolerant of risk are you? Everyone has a different tolerance and this is key to your success in innovation. Innovators learn to tolerate risk if they believe the reward is great enough. Think about some of the great missions innovators and how risky their lives seem today.

The thing that helps us take risk is the great reward that we strive for. We are working for something much larger than money or fame. Our innovations are designed to have eternal impact for God's Kingdom. Within that context, God challenges us to take greater risk and to trust in Him.

I would like to introduce you to an innovator and risk taker in our facebook group - Dawn Herzog Jewell. Dawn works for MAI and has just written a book called Escaping the Devil's Bedroom. This book is a daring look at the realities of the sex trade world wide and what Christians are doing to reach out to people caught in this reality.

Dawn doesn't have any experience in this area, but she felt that God wanted her to write about something that wasn't getting much ink - and through prayer - God led her to this topic. As a new author, imagine the intimidation of tackling a topic like this? Would you have done it?

But Dawn found a prayer partner to walk alongside her and she began tackling the subject. After much travel, research and interaction with those who work in this area of ministry - the book is finally out.

As I read the first chapter, what I found so amazing is that Dawn helped me to see those people caught in the sex trade as individuals in desperate need of love. It was so easy before for me to see them as objects, but Dawn introduces me to people who were broken and have now been made whole in Christ.

One of the innovative elements is how Dawn carries the theme of lost and found people throughout the book. So many books focus on the sin and forget the person. Dawn turned that equation around and made it about those people who are caught in the middle of their sin and their circumstances. Even when the people in the book are hard to love, Dawn challenges the reader to see them as Jesus does.

Dawn has tackled a subject that few would cover. She has dealt with the topic in a straightforward way that shows the sin but then focuses on the solution. In all that she had friends and co-workers praying for her and her work.

I believe that Dawn's risk is going to pay off in exciting ways as people around the world get to know what ministry is going on to free people from the sex trade and how they can get involved.

What risks is God asking you to take today? Will you be courageous enough to engage in God's agenda?

Make sure to visit the blog: http://www.escapingthedevilsbedroom.com/

Also, make sure to join the facebook group for the book: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26436580582

Innovation in those Anonymous Times

When the word innovation pops into our minds, one of the ideas that usually surfaces is that of "fame." You know what I mean. Those who innovate get articles written about them, they get buildings named after them and a parade of biographers write their story.

But did you know that this is really a very rare occurance for the innovator? The normal reality is one of anonymity. When God births an idea in your head and begins to work in your heart to develop it, usually it is not done in front of an audience. It is done in a quiet place - an out of the way place.

In fact the good ideas usually take a long time to "cook" as our friend Dr. Hiebert used to say. That cooking is tedious, frustrating and lonely. But there are no shortcuts to it. There are no other avenues to pursue. To innovate you must accept the times of anonymity.

A resource to help you in this process is this week's Innovation Book of the Week - Anonymous.

Check out my review and I hope it is a help and a blessing.

If you have any thoughts on what you have done in those anonymous times, take a minute to share them for all of our readers. That would be a great encouragement.

Innovation Book of the Week - August 18-22

Being Anonymous

So many times when you are an innovator you go through those times of your life when you are invisible. You are working hard at your idea but no obvious grand ceremony is in sight. What do you do?

"Anonymous" is written by Alicia Chole and it is about the hidden years of Jesus and what we as Christians can learn from those years. This idea was deeply impacting to me because I have had those times. Times where I ask, "Where is God?" "Is my cause worth it?" "Is God closing a door or opening one?"

Those are normal questions. Don't be afraid of the anonymous times. What this book will teach you is how to use those times so that when you burst out into the spotlight you are ready. You are deep in your faith, full of wisdom that can only come from suffering and ready to serve humbly.

Innovations in Visual Understanding

For much of the past century, our missions efforts have been centered around the concept that literacy is key to a culture's ability to embrace the Gospel. This has been a reality for our Wycliffe friends who teach literacy as they translate so that the people can read the Bible in their own language. This great movement had incredible results. In many ways the global economy that we now enjoy is partially due to the efforts of missionaries.

So we have this wonderful heritage of literacy with missions work. But many in recent years have been asking a question, "Is literacy required to gain an understanding of spiritual things?" This was an innovative question to ask for sure. The result of asking that question was the Orality Movement. The basic idea is that if we have the right techniques and tools, we can communicate to pre-literate and illiterate peoples in a way that will help them understand the Gospel and grow in their faith.

Now that is the concept of Orality, but I would like to present a further innovation in visual communication. A member of our facebook group - Clyde Taber (a former staff member with the Jesus Film Project) - is helping to coordinate a new group called the Visual Story Network. This idea takes the basic concept of tools for oral learners and then looks at a specific subset of those tools - visual ones.

This is a critical area of work because pre-literate, illiterate and post-literate people all respond to visual stories. But in the missions movement, we have been slow to identify and use visual tools because we have been so text heavy. Don't read that as a criticism, it is just a reality of how missions tools developed.

So the big innovation question is this, "How can visual stories transform how we communicate the Gospel?" Whether you are trying to reach people who have never read one word or those who have given up reading in a highly visual generation, this is an important question.

If you are interested in exploring this network of innovators, check out their site. Even better, go to the Visual Story Network Forum that is being held alongside the International Orality Network Conference in Dallas September 16-18.

The goals of the event are to:

1. Gather and engage visual story “innovators and early adaptors” around the vision of a global movement
2. Develop strategy groups focused on Training and Equipping, North America and Global Opportunities. Each strategy group will focus on two achievable objectives (6-9 month time frame).
3. Provide training in the development and use of visual story for kingdom impact
4. Develop relationships with the leaders in the International Orality Network. While their focus is on the use of oral story formats, we believe there are lessons to be shared between the two communities.
5. Provide networking opportunities
6. Present current models of effective visual story

Book of the Week - August 4-8

MINDSET

This quick read is an excellent resource for innovators. John Naisbitt very quickly goes through 11 mindsets that we need to consider if we are to see the world differently. These have been very helpful to me as I have strived to tackle big problems.

But he goes beyond describing these 11 mindsets. In the second part of the book he really focuses in on case studies from the real world and how these mindsets play out.

If you haven't read it yet, pick it up. A quick scan will be very beneficial

Innovation Rejection

What happens when your innovation is rejected? If you are an active innovator, then this has happened many times. Rejection in the innovation business is like bike accidents for an avid biker. You know you when you sign up that you will end up with bumps and bruises.

There are two key components to handling Innovation Rejection:

1. Your Attitude: As an innovator, you need to hold your ideas and excitement lightly. You never know what will catch on, what will work, what will make sense. If you personally invest so heavily in an idea that you can't discard it when it doesn't work, you will not see your innovations succeed.

2. Your Identity: As an innovator, your identity needs to be in Christ and not in your ideas. If you get your value and worth from your ability to come up with new ideas, you will find yourself defensive, frustrated and hopeless. If you get your identity from your ability to innovate, then your very worth as a person will come from your success. So when you fail you will feel worthless.

The innovator that can hold ideas lightly and anchor their identity in Christ will find a creative freedom that is hard to contain. God is ready to let you loose on the world. Failure will be a part of that reality, but in God's strength you will learn from each rejection and go on.

An successfull innovator is not someone who doesn't fail, they are someone who reaches beyond their failures to learn key leasons that will lead to the next great endeavor.

Made it to 300!

Friends, we reached our goal of growing the Facebook Innovation in Mission group to 300. Thanks for all of you who joined. Stay tuned.

Help us get to 300!

If you are checking out this blog and are also using facebook, take a minute to join our Innovation in Mission group. We are almost to 300 members and you can help us get there.

Click here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21925728488 or search Innovation in Mission next time you hop on!

See you there.

10 Minutes a Day with Jesus - July 28 - Aug 1

An Authentic Connection

This week we have been talking about authenticity. Can you think of anyone more authentic than Jesus? He brought eternity into our lives in a way that we are still striving to understand.

As you think about how you can be authentic in your innovation work, who better to model than Jesus. The co-editor with me of Innovation in Mission - Jim Reapsome - has a new book out called 10 Minutes a Day with Jesus and it is worth a read.

Jim does an incredible job of giving us bite-sized opportunities to learn more about Jesus and what He has done for us. These short devotionals inspire a day's worth of thought and have been such an encouragement to me when I feel that I don't have any more to give.

So many times Jesus seems like a distant idea, a foreign person so far from our reality. As I read this, I am getting to know Jesus in new ways and realizing how Jesus wants to revolutionize my life with his authentic touch.

I hope you will find this book to be an encouragement as you seek to innovate in your ministry. Jesus is our most powerful example in innovation work and we must seek after Him constantly if we want to be used to unleash authentic innovations for God's glory.

Authentic Innovation

I have been thinking about authenticity recently. It started when I asked God why he doesn't move more powerfully in us at times. As I thought about this, I realized that many times when God moves I immediately focus in on this new exciting thing that is happening and take it over. I am convinced that I can run it better than God!

You know what I mean. How many times does God do something special just to have us come in and build this movement a building, a program, an 8 week curriculum, etc. We don't know what else to do with the God of the Universe on the move. To let Him do His thing would be to loose control of our lives completely - and that is the idea isn't it?

I think there is a powerful application to innovation. God is the ultimate innovator. He is doing incredible new things that are transforming lives and blessing communities. His ways are inherently innovative - we understand only a small piece of who God is and how He thinks. Imagine the endless stream of new ideas that God is capable of revealing in our world.

With this in mind, innovation in mission is about seeking God. If God is the source of our ideas, then those concepts will have an authenticity that we could not develop on our own. Let me give you an example. In the Old Testament, God innovated to create a place for His people Israel. He brought them out of captivity and gave them a land. In that land there was no king - simply a judge that represented God's holy rule. What an innovative model for government! To think that the God of the universe would guide and lead an earthly people.

As this played out, God showed himself faithful and protected Israel. After one such event, the people decided that they needed control. They wanted a king. Samuel tried to convince them that the authentic rule of God was more beneficial than a human king, but they had made up their minds.

How many times do we take a holy idea - authentic to its core - and destroy it as we seek to gain control and power? How many innovations has this destroyed? Who knows, but we do know that God is an endless fount of blessing and He is willing to bless us with many more ideas. IF we will not seek to control and own them.

So what does authentic innovation look like? It is God moving through us to bring about a new idea that will bless many. We participate and God guides it to fruition. Pray that God will move in that way in your ministry today!

The Most Relevant Missions Topic

I have been doing a poll on this site for the past months about the most relevant topic in missions. Here are the results:

The Most Relevant Topic in Missions today is . . .
- Church Planting (13%)
- Business as Mission (20%)
- Strategic Partnerships (6%)
- Equipping Local Believers (60%)

What does this say about where we need innovation? Well, one thing it says is that we need to be innovating in how organizations empower and equip effectively. How are you innovating in this area?

More to come . . .

Book of the Week - July 14-18

10 Rules for Strategic Innovators

This book is a solid help - specifically if you are trying to innovate within a legacy organization. I blogged about this book a bit last week, but it is worth mentioning again.

Insurgency and the Establishment

To be involved in innovation takes a willingness to do things differently. It takes a fighting heart that can push through on change even when it is hard. It takes a sensitivity to people that allows you to empower them in the creative process.

To do these types of things, you have to be an insurgent. You have to be willing to forget the old ways of doing something and at the same time borrow all the good of the old.

Your main struggle as an innovator will be against the establishment. The establishment is the system that works wonderfully today but is not thinking about how the world must change.

So here is the question, how can you have an insurgent's heart within an establishment world? They are not mutually exculsive. In fact, some of the greatest innovations came out of the center of the old, established organizations/industries/cultures.

One of the great examples is Corning. This company has reinvented itself dozens of times creating new markets and new products that have revolutionized our world. From light bulbs to Corningware, to fiber optics and now LCD screens. They are an example of an established company who has an insurgent culture capable of amazing innovation. To see a timeline of their innovation click here.

One of the key ideas that I would like to highlight in this process is one that is shared in a book called Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators: From idea to execution. It is key for insurgents within established organizations. The authors call it "NewCo" and "CoreCo." The idea is simple. Your core company - CoreCo - can create new initiatives - NewCo - if it is strategic. There are two key lessons to learn if you are trying to start something new within an established organization.

Borrow - They say that we must borrow key infrastructure that will help us succeed. For instance if your ministry has a warehouse, your new initiative should use it to store key products/materials instead of outsoucing and spending more money.

Forget - They say that we must forget the old ways things have been done. So if your ministry has a traditional way of doing a certain thing, you must forget it and reimagine it for your new needs.

If your desire is to begin a NewCo within a CoreCo, the other key thing for you to consider is how you structure your initiative. If it is too connected to the old, it won't make it. A CoreCo manager will never make the necessary sacrifices for a NewCo initiative. If it is too disconnected you won't have the advantages of all that infrastructure. The key is high level leaders who support the NewCo but empower it to grow and develop the way it needs to.

So here is the question, what can you do to create the right environment to lead an insurgency within your established organization?

Innovation Book of the Week - July 7-11

As you consider how to take an idea you have and really connect it with others, a must read is Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.

This book helps you identify what a message or idea needs to have to be memorable and actionable.

Enjoy!

http://www.madetostick.com/

Anchor and Twist

So many times when we come up with a new idea, we then go about trying to sell it to the world. We make powerpoints, design logos, create descriptions, write case studies and on and on.

Two of my favorite innovation writers (Dan and Chip Heath - who wrote Made to Stick) have a new concept that I think can really help missions innovators. The call it Anchor and Twist.

The concept is very easy. Instead of trying to explain your new idea from scratch, you start with something people know, relate it to your idea and then add the twist. This allows people to quickly relate your idea to something that they have seen before, but creates the distinctive quickly. This is tricky, but can be very powerful.

Lets take a very easy example. We recently purchased a small high definition flat panel television. For some the difference between analog and digital is still a bit unclear. But try this, "The picture looks like what you see on your flat panel computer monitor at work only it has an antenna hookup in the back." Almost everyone now has flat computer monitors, so they know what those are. But none of theirs have a place for an antenna to hook up. So you anchored your idea in something they knew and twisted it to describe the new item.

Lets us a missions example. As many of you might know, a staple in communicating missions in North America has been the "dinner event." They are banquets where people come to hear about what God is doing around the world. These tools were and still can be very effective for awareness and communication. One of the centerpieces for a missions banquet is always the "compelling video." Lets say I am trying to introduce our YouTube videos and explain how they might be used to communicate to people interested in missions. I could either go into a long explanation of online video, the demographics, the stats etc, or I could say, "Putting our missions videos on online videos on sites like YouTube are like a virtual missions banquet with a 24/7 program." I have anchored the YouTube video in a familiar concept for many people involved in missions but twisted it with they reality that they are available all the time.

What innovative concept are you working to present today? How could you apply this concept of "Anchor and Twist" to help people understand and grapple with it more effectively. Remember that the amount of work you do up front to define and explain will go a long way towards adoption as you work with you idea.